


Should Have Just Asked Him Out

by prompt_fills



Category: Tennis RPF
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Getting Together, M/M, Magical Realism, Mistaken Identity, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-13 02:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7134827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompt_fills/pseuds/prompt_fills
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rafa is the worst cupid <i>ever</i>.</p><p>He starts texting Andy while pretending to be a girl and what’s first supposed to be a harmless prank turns into a genuine concern for his rival’s love life. Helping is basically in his job description, right? Well, now Rafa is in over his head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Should Have Just Asked Him Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [krisherdown](https://archiveofourown.org/users/krisherdown/gifts).



> Krisherdown, this is not a fandom I offered but the one I thought you’d enjoy the most.
> 
> I owe a huge thank you to Samofwinter who was a wonderful, supportive and diligent beta. ♥

++++++++++

Rafa has a history of saying the wrong things.

  
_(He is maybe four when he says to his mum, “I’m going to become a jester.”_  

  
_She looks down at him and gives him a small smile and ruffles his hair but there is a pinched look in her eyes he still remembers vividly. “Sure you will, honey.”)_  



       
_(At the family reunion, he is growing steadily more and more bored. He’s too cool to stick around the young kids but not cool enough for the older teens. His wings have already presented and are now strong enough to carry his weight. His cousin Lucia finds him hiding in the back of the garden, stretching out his wings, admiring their smooth feathers._   


      
_Her eyes shine with eagerness. “Can you make my mummy love my daddy again?”_  


      
_He’s heard his parents talking about their aunt Florencia divorcing her husband. Honestly, he can’t blame her._  


      
_“Sorry kid,” he says with a shrug, “that’s not how it works. There’s gotta be some love in the first place.”_  


      
_He’s a teen, he’s careless with his words. Lucia tells him he’s mean and that he will be sorry when it happens to him, then she runs away. He doesn’t think about how her eyes filled with tears. Not back then.)_  


_(He is nearly fourteen when he informs his parents, “I’m going to play pro tennis.”)_ 


       
_(His aim has always been ridiculous. One day he throws the bow to the ground in frustration and cries, “I’m never picking up another arrow, ever.”_   


       
_His father comes storming over, makes him pick up the discarded bow and collect the scattered arrows and makes him practice until the sun sets and mum comes looking for them. His arms hurt days after whenever he picks up his racquet.)_   


++++++++++

Andy’s luck of clutchness is notorious.

_Fwoosh. Thud. Whizz. Bwapp. Rustle. Slap._

He’s not hitting with enough topspin and while the returns are still good and quick, to Rafa’s eyes they seem different than usual. Not a good different.

_Whap. Rustle. Swakk. Whap. Thud. Woosh._

Rafa is watching from the stands, carefully hidden in the shadows, face obscured by his sunglasses. He doesn’t want to draw attention.

_Plnk. Rustle. Fwoosh. Thud. Fwoosh. Rustle. Zapp._

Andy stills while waiting for a serve and Rafa can nearly see the tension rolling off him in waves – and Rafa is not that type of a creature to naturally sense it.

He’s thinking about it too much, Rafa supposes. Overthinking the situation, overthinking the game and his next moves. In the past said calculated moves had Rafa fishing the ball from the parts of the court he least wanted them to be aimed at – but still. Rafa prefers to trust his instincts and Andy’s game seems to be off. It’s fascinating to watch.

_Fwoosh. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle._

Despite his resolution not to draw any attention and not to interact with anybody, Rafa snaps. He turns to the woman in the seat to the left. “You aren’t much into tennis, are you?” he asks her, as polite as he can manage.

_Rustle. Rustle. Rus–_

The crinkling of the magazine paper finally stops. The woman looks up at him, smiling wryly. “No, not really.”

She keeps looking at him but there is not a hint of interest in her dark eyes. “Uh,” Rafa says, reminding himself to keep his tone light, “then why are you here?”

Her smile turns whimsical. “Why, are you offering to take me out of here?” She closes her magazine and sets it on her lap. He watches, captivated, as she tucks a strand of her straight black hair behind her ear in one fluid motion of her slender wrist.

She looks familiar but he can’t say where he saw her before. “I believe the set is over anyway,” she adds invitingly.

Shocked, Rafa turns to look down below them where the players are indeed changing the ends of the court. Darn.

That breaks him out of the spell. “Sorry. I came to watch.”

Her face closes off. “Okay,” she shrugs and returns to her magazine.

_Fwoosh. Slap. Rustle._

Rafa briefly squeezes his eyes shut and hopes that Andy becomes more aggressive before the end of the first game.

++++++++++

It hits him that very evening why the woman from the match was vaguely familiar.

He’s in a restaurant, enjoying his meal, when he sees Andy with his girlfriend walk in. It’s her. The same captivating smile, the same shoulder-length hair, different dress.

From across the room, he is in a safe distance not to fall under her spell again and he can see her in all her monstrous beauty.

He watches Andy pull out her chair for her, watches the two of them make their order, watches as she talks a mile a minute while they wait. She is enjoying the story she is telling, accompanying the tale with wide gestures. Andy, however, doesn’t look so good. Rafa has to shift in his seat and lean a little to the right if he wants to see him because of an inconveniently placed lemon tree.

Andy looks tired, brows furrowed, slouching in his seat with his arms crossed. It’s a spur of the moment decision, really. Just to see the reaction on Andy’s face.

He types a quick text with the cheesiest compliment that comes to his mind and hits send.

He sees the exact moment Andy reads the text. It takes a lot of effort not to start cackling madly. The woman never notices anything, still talking animatedly.

Rafa enjoys watching Andy squirm for the rest of their dinner. The Scot’s fingers become impatient, his legs jittery, his expression uneasy. His eyes keep straying to gaze out of the windows for long moments even when it gets so dark Andy couldn’t possibly see anything outside.

That should be it, really. But as they’re leaving, Rafa is following them with his eyes and something in the way the girl moves and carries herself catches Rafa’s attention. Once he focuses on it – _wow_.

With shaky fingers he gets out his phone and does a bit of research that only confirms his terrible suspicion.

There is no good way to put it. Andy’s sweet lovely girl from Okazaki is a jorōgumo. He knows it for sure because, well, there is a good reason he doesn’t fancy spiders.

++++++++++

Rafa doesn’t expect a reply to the text he sent Andy so he is taken aback by the late night, '`Who is this?`'

After a bit of thinking, Rafa replies, '`An admirer.`'

'`Oh really?`'

'`¿Why is it hard to believe? You’re a handsome man.`'

The answer doesn’t satisfy Andy’s curiosity and he doesn’t stop texting. Rafa always types an ambiguous reply and it quickly becomes a game of hide and seek.

At first Rafa keeps up with the pretence because it’s the least intrusive way he can keep the jorōgumo at bay. Make Andy intrigued, make him realize how little he cares for his girl and how little she cares for him. With a few carefully phrased questions and several weeks of patience, she won’t be but a memory. Rafa has seen the way she is with Andy. That’s not love. He has to help Andy get rid of her before she turns full on monster on him, he tells himself.

Plus, Andy might spill something that could prove to be of Rafa’s advantage on the court. And it’s in his nature to care about other people’s love life. He might not be very good at being a cupid (just ask Maria and Alex, Fernando and Raquel – even Caroline and Rory would have an intriguing story to tell about a spark that burned out too fast) but it’s what he is.

The fact that he is genuinely enjoying talking to Andy doesn’t hurt. The texts grow more relaxed and teasing with each passing day.

Andy’s replies are curt and to the point, his droll personality always carrying perfectly even through the texts. Rafa can practically hear Andy’s dry delivery as he reads them.

So, at first, Rafa keeps talking to Andy to make sure the jorōgumo gets out of the picture. But then weeks pass – and keep passing – and Rafa realizes he doesn’t want to stop.

      
_(_ '`You still haven’t told me what do you do,`' _Andy asks in that roundabout way of his._  


      
__'` Thinking of you,`' _he replies because it’s the only thing he can admit openly.)_  


_(_ '`I’ve tried online dating. No one normal is out there.`' _Rafa can hear the heavy sigh in Andy’s text. He wrecks his brain to come up with something uplifting. Something positive and genuine and still teasing. A smile tugs at his lips as he considers all the possible sweet compliments that could make Andy roll his eyes.)_ 


      
_(Andy has been unusually quiet. Several hours pass and still no response to Rafa’s last comment. He grabs his phone and fires off,_ '`Are you ok?`' _The answer takes forever to come._  


      
__'` I’m getting tired of talking about the problems with my back.`' __  


      
_A small chuckle escapes Rafa when types,_ '`I can relate to that.`' __  


       
_Sometimes his wings hurt when he doesn’t get to spend enough time airborne or when he doesn’t even have time to stretch them. Toni’s eyes always follow him, watching for the small but tell-tale twinges in his back. The questions about the discomfort are something Rafa has gotten used to.)_   


++++++++++

Rafa stares at his phone in despair. His eyes keep looking at the text but his brain refuses to put the words into a proper context.

'`Want to meet you.`'

No. No, that’s not the result he was aiming for. It was just a harmless prank that kept going on for longer than Rafa anticipated when first sending that flirty text.

A few weeks into the texting, Andy’s girlfriend broke things off with him, just as Rafa planned. They hardly had any time to see each other anyway, the media claimed.

       
_(Rafa learns to stay away from the media. One time Shakira saves him from la tunda and they are allegedly eloping the next day – if El Mundo is to be believed. He has no interest in Piqué threatening his life ever again.)_   


Rafa should have stopped texting then. The spider didn’t manage to catch the fly, Rafa’s mission was over.

Then came Andy’s noticeable slump and Rafa _couldn’t_ stop. He sent another unsigned message, just a little silly remark to cheer up the brooding Scot. It snowballed quickly from there.

'`Want to meet you,`' Andy wrote without knowing who he’s been talking to all this time.

Rafa sets the phone aside, hides his face in his hands. All he meant to do was to make Andy believe in love again. Just make Andy put himself out there. Stick around long enough to see Andy hit it off with someone. He would have provided all the support until then. Andy wasn’t supposed to try to hit it off with _him_. Especially if Andy didn’t even know it was him.

_(In his mind, the memory of his father’s disappointed frown is still strong. “Your grandfather was the best cupid of his time. It was him who introduced Margarita to Carlos. I don’t know where we went wrong with you.”)_ 


++++++++++

Rafa has a talent for saying exactly what people don’t want to hear so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Aga refuses to cooperate when he corners her out.

“Aga, my beautiful, just who I was looking for.” Rafa offers the spirit a wide smile.

She tells him to piss off.

“I just really, really need your help,” he insists sulkily as he watches Aga’s face morph into a storm. It’s like watching his mother’s face when Rafa was sixteen and told her about his crush on Carlos. “Remember about my, uh, side business?”

Her face softens. “How could I ever forget, you flip wing.”

“Shhh, not so loud.” He glances around them surreptitiously. “Yes, about that. What would you say to a date with one charming Scot? Please say yes.”

“Erm. If I say no, you’re just going to run your arrows through me, aren’t you?”

“I might,” he lies bravely. “C’mon, one date.”

The bereginia gives him one long look before relenting. “Ugh. You’re the worst.”

“And you’re the best. Here.” He thrusts a paper into her hand. “This is a list of topics you should avoid at all costs.” He plucks the paper from Aga’s hand again, turns it over and gives it back to her. “This is a list of topics he enjoys.”

Aga shakes her head at him. “You’re nuts. How do you even know these things?”

 _‘I’ve been texting with him a lot_ ,’ Rafa thinks but doesn’t say. “We cupids just know these things.”

The spirit raises an eyebrow. “Okay, so, who exactly is supposed to be my prince charming?”

He grins at her, “You’ve been crushing on him since forever. Now is your chance.”

“Oh.” She blushes faintly.

++++++++++

Rafa gulps as he observes the scene across the street below him. He is on a balcony at the top of a hotel, a good thirteen floors above the restaurant Andy is meeting Aga.

He shouldn’t be nervous. He knows Aga and he has a good feeling about her. She is a little dot pacing back and forth, waiting for Andy to show up. From his perch, Rafa spots him sooner than she does. He sees how Andy pauses for a long moment – long enough for Rafa’s heart to start doing somersaults – before he approaches her. Rafa can’t see it clearly but he knows Aga smiles brightly at Andy as he leans in to give her a kiss on the cheek.

This is Rafa’s moment. He grabs one of his golden arrows just as Aga is gesturing to the restaurant. They both start walking there slowly and Rafa draws his bow. If it isn’t meant to be, he reasons with himself, it won’t work. If they have a chance, the extra boost won’t do them any harm. Rafa takes aim.

Andy’s hand slides around Aga’s shoulders as he carefully steers her away from a passing skater. Rafa wavers.

The date seems to be going well. They don’t need his help. Some people don’t need to do crazy things for love. He could let the love flow without interference. Things are looking good for them. Then why is he so opposed to the idea?

He keeps stalling until they reach the door to the restaurant and Andy hurries forward to get the door for Aga.

Rafa can’t stand to watch them. He lets his hands fall to his sides as he turns away from the scene below. It hurts to see the two of them hitting it off – it hurts so much Rafa can only think of one possible explanation. And he doesn’t like it one bit. Because falling for Andy wasn’t a part of the plan.

++++++++++

Rafa refocuses on upping his game. No time to bemoan his own misfortune in love, no point on dwelling on things he can’t change.

Andy will be happy with Aga. Rafa – well, he has a tournament to shine at.

He makes sure the water bottles face the centre mark and feels like he can breathe a little again. Everything is going to be fine.

Aga is a sweet girl. She’ll understand Andy’s busy schedule. He can stop worrying about it.

He grabs his bandana and heads for the court.

       
_(The blazing Australian sun has set. The weather has been insufferable – first the heat, then the rain. But now, now is his chance. He’s still not used to playing so late into the night and all he can think of at first is the approaching midnight. It takes him a while to get his head on straight and the Scottish youth punishes his every wavering._   


       
_He is so focused that barely any thoughts are left in his mind. He’s sweating, he’s exhausted and he’s winning. Somewhere in the back of his mind that he’s trying hard to ignore, he’s terrified Murray could still be better than him. The whispering stands have quieted, anticipating the outcome of their duel._   


       
_Rafa dances through the points to a win.)_   


His turn to serve. Rafa crosses the court, avoiding the white lines. He bounces the ball.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five._

It’s time to win again.

++++++++++

He doesn’t expect to see Aga again so soon. “Hey, Aga, how d–”

“Never,” she snarls, “never try to set me up on a date again. Understood?”

“Y-yes,” he stammers out, taking a step back from her. He’s never before seen the bereginia in such a foul mood.

“Good,” she says, forcing her way past him into his hotel room. “He didn’t like me.”

Rafa is taken aback by that, his feathers fluffing up automatically. “What do you mean he didn’t like you?” 

She gives him a look so sharp he wonders if she doesn’t have a bit of kikimora blood in her veins after all.

With a gulp, Rafa finally closes the door. “So, you didn’t hit it off?”

“No,” she sighs and slumps into Rafa’s armchair, some of the fight leaving her. “The date was a complete disaster.”

Rafa makes a surprised noise.

“He was just so serious,” she mutters morosely, kicking off her sandals and drawing her knees up.

Andy. Andy with his dry sense of humour. Andy who always has a quip ready at the tip of his tongue. Andy with his quick-witted remarks.

“Serious?” Rafa echoes dully.

“Yes! This sad look in his eyes? Like he didn’t even want me to be there!”

Rafa can’t help himself. “Did you stick to the safe topics?”

“Yes,” she hisses. “And he didn’t smile once. He asked me about you, though.” Another sharp look from her.

“Uh, me? Ha ha. Strange.”

“Isn’t it? Even stranger is that he told me he wasn’t looking for anyone. So, what made you think he was?”

“Well,” Rafa drawls, helplessly trying to come up with some ‘cupids just know’ explanation.

“Spill,” Aga commands.

Rafa can’t but tell her about the jorōgumo and the texts.

When he’s finished, Aga mutters something that sounds like ‘crabby cupids’.

Rafa is so upset he unfolds his wings in a defensive move but Aga only snorts. “Impressive. But it’s not going to work on me.”

“Look, you know I’m sorry,” Rafa says weakly.

“Why don’t you just go date your boyfriend?” Aga spits out and storms off.

He’s still staring at the door Aga slammed close when the screen of his phone lights up. _Muzza_.

'`I know it wasn’t you yesterday.`'

Rafa’s stomach drops.

'`I want to meet YOU. Can you make it this evening?`'

With his throat tight, Rafa types, '`Ok, tell me where.`'

++++++++++

“Thought you might not show up,” Andy says when Rafa finally makes it. He is standing with his back to Rafa, leaning against a wooden railing overlooking a cliff. It’s a beautiful setting Rafa would appreciate more if his stomach wasn’t twisted into a knot.

Rafa doesn’t say anything, just pauses a few steps away from Andy and waits for him to turn around. He doesn’t want to be spared the look of shock and betrayal on the Scot’s face as he realizes it’s been Rafa all along.

There is no such emotion when Andy finally turns. Of all things, there is a small smile playing on his lips. “I’m taking a chance on you, try to look a tad more happy,” Andy advises him.

Rafa’s hand does a little nervous twitch so he shoves it into his pocket to hide it. “A chance? I thought you wanted explanations.”

“Why would I need explanations? I knew it was you from the first day.”

Gobsmacked, Rafa shakes his head. “But how did you know?”

Andy’s smile is now showing teeth. “Saw your reflection in the windows. You kept staring.”

“Oh. I did.” Rafa wouldn’t put it past Andy to have secretly laughed himself silly over Rafa’s attention. And there he was, thinking he was the one to do the pranking. “So what do you want?”

“I don’t know,” Andy says, turning his back on Rafa but Rafa notices how he rubs a hand over his mouth.

Unsure, he steps to the railing as well, a respectful distance away. The water below them is deep and still, the surface reflecting a sky that is quickly turning dark, the waves rising and falling softly against the cliffs.

++++++++++

“We should get back,” he tells Andy when the silence stretches. Andy isn’t demanding answers and Rafa isn’t sure he has them anyway.

“Afraid of the night?”

Afraid of the creatures lurking in the shadows, watching them and waiting for the sun to lose its protective power. “Yeah, haha, you know how it is with me,” Rafa offers a brittle smile. Much like the Murrumbidgee River, the shores of the Yarra River are notorious for bunyips.

He is scarcely done talking when a twig snaps noisily in the bushes that surround them. Rafa makes it three steps before a Gippsland phantom cat blocks his path. Except there is nothing phantom about it. The creature is easily over 900 pounds and over four meters long. Its fur is black and sleek, its movements surprisingly swift for something its size. A warning growl escapes from its throat. Behind him, Rafa can hear Andy’s sharp intake of breath.

“Get back,” Rafa says tightly. The growling stops and the cat’s mouth hangs wide open, showing yellowing fangs of impressive length.

“What–” Andy starts to say but now is not the time to freak out. Rafa gives him a shove back and Andy obliges. But then they have nowhere to back off, with the creature charging on them and the steep cliffs behind their backs as they reach the railing.

Rafa tries to angle his back away from Andy and he barely has time to slip behind Andy and say to his ear, “Trust me.” The creature snaps it jaws in disappointment, tail twitching irritably, as its dinner propels itself over the wooden railing.

For a terrifying second Rafa thinks their combined weight will be too much for his wings to carry but after a second of falling towards the dark water, he manages to fully spread the wings and soar on a gust of wind.

His grip on Andy’s waist is surely bruising but up they fly. The strain on Rafa’s wings is tremendous – Andy’s weight is nothing like his little cousins’ who always demand a flight these days at family gatherings.

When they reach Andy’s hotel room balcony, it’s more of a crash-landing than anything else. He lets go of Andy and stumbles away, chest heaving. He’s freaking out.

The shadows are still hiding him but his cover won’t hold for much longer. The moment Andy gets close enough to take a look, Rafa is screwed. 

His wings are absolutely out of control. He fails to fold and hide them, something he mastered within the first week after they presented.

His heart is hammering madly in his chest, reminding him of that moment of utter fright when he thought he would lose Andy.

“Rafa?”

“Stay back!” he barks.

Andy doesn’t listen. “Rafa, I–” He gasps when he notices the wings and immediately takes a step back.

Rafa curses, the wings still not under control, quivering helplessly. “I’m not dangerous,” he says. “The Gippsland cat yes, that is dangerous. I’m not.”

“What? No, of course, I know.” As if to prove his words, Andy closes the distance between them again. He slowly reaches out and lightly pets the outside of Rafa’s secondaries. Rafa’s wing twitches under the tentative touch even though he saw it coming. “I mean– What are you?”

“Trenti?” He tries. Not like Andy would know anyway. “Don’t look at me.”

“Are you like one of those things that make you fall for them helplessly when you see their true form?” Andy frowns, hand running down the smooth surface, then returning for another long stroke from the bone to the very tips of the quills like he can’t believe what he is seeing. Rafa can’t blame him, really, but Andy had better stop touching him so intimately.

“No, I’m not that _thing_.” He grits through his teeth with enough emphasis that it makes Andy look away from the wings to search Rafa’s face.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve heard some stories but I never met one of those thi– creatures before. Aren’t you supposed to keep to yourself, stay away from – other people?”

“Most of us do, yes.”

Andy’s gaze slides off Rafa’s face, back to his wings. “Are there more players like you?”

“I’m not outing anyone!”

“So there _are_ others,” Andy’s eyes shine.

“No, no other cupids that I know off,” Rafa grumbles before he realizes he just told Andy what he really is.

“A cupid, eh?” Andy chuckles and Rafa finally manages to fold his wings and resume looking at least a bit normal.

“Not a very good one, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Andy chirps. He is unharmed, not running away screaming and he seems to have gotten over his initial shock. Rafa supposes today could have gone a lot worse. “Why Aga?”

Maybe one day he could explain about the spirits and shape-shifters, the spiders and the snakes, about the way all of them creatures can sense the magic within the others if they focus on it. It’s too soon for that talk, though. “She likes you,” he says simply.

“I told her I already like someone else.”

“Don’t–” Rafa starts because he doesn’t even know what to think anymore.

Andy speaks over him. “How did you know which balcony it is, anyway?”

“Uh,” Rafa manages.

Andy clasps his hand around his shoulder. “Okay, I don’t need to know. Let’s get inside.”

Rafa follows him without a protest.

       
_(“Mum, are you saying I shouldn’t leave my balcony door open because a pesanta might sneak in while I’m away and cause me troubles during the night, am I getting this right?”_   


       
_“Yes.”_   


       
_“Sneak into a hotel room eighteen floors above the ground?” Rafa repeats incredulously._   


       
_“Yes!”)_   


++++++++++

Rafa eyes the Scot with interest. For someone who had just had his first encounter with magical creatures, he seems to be wonderfully calm. “You’re not losing it.”

“I’m not. Show me the wings again?”

Rafa obliges. Still facing Andy, he spreads out the wings, careful not to knock over anything in the room. He can feel the stretch from the previous exertion.

“Is this okay?” Andy’s fingers are gentle as they preen the feathers. The wings move effortlessly to accommodate him, leaving enough room for Andy to slip closer.

More than okay. “Yes.” Rafa’s cheeks might be heating up. Maybe.

Andy chuckles. “Good.”

“Good,” the Spaniard echoes, closing his eyes. For a long time, nothing has felt as good as Andy’s affections. “Don’t stop.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

Maybe Rafa will say or do the wrong thing again but he has a feeling Andy has gotten used to that by now.

++++++++++

_(In hindsight, there could have been a better way to tell his mum than, “Mum, about coming home next week – could you make sure my guest room is ready? Andy’s coming along. You remember Andy, right?”)_ 



End file.
